Full-motion video games get a pretty bad wrap from gamers, and for good reason. They were extremely prevalent in the 90s when CD technology and gaming first merged, but, more often than not, they were simple, overly-cheesy experiences seeking to cash in on the novelty.
However, that's not to say that worthwhile FMV gaming experiences don't exist. In fact, in recent years, the genre has experienced a small resurgence with titles like Her Story and Late Shift breathing new life into a nearly-extinct footnote in gaming history. Here are five notoriously terrible full-motion video games, as well as five that deserve some credit.
10 Worst: Mad Dog McCree
Originally released as a gimmicky light gun arcade game, Mad Dog McCree and its sequels and spinoffs have since been ported to everything from the Sega CD to the Nintendo Wii. Yet, though we understand that some players may harbor fond memories of this weird western romp, it certainly hasn't aged very well.
The awful acting and dimestore costuming are troublesome, to begin with, but, pixelated and displayed in 320 by 240, they look even worse. Plus, it's often extremely difficult to tell what you're supposed to be shooting at, and, on the whole, Mad Dog McCree is just a major headache to play.
9 Best: The Infectious Madness Of Doctor Dekker
A Lovecraftian thriller the likes of which you've never before seen, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker serves as something of a proof of concept for how great FMV games can be in the modern era. Featuring a free text input mechanic which lets gamers ask whatever sorts of questions they like, the game tasks players with uncovering the mystery of the eponymous doctor's murder.
With branching pathways, several different endings, and upward fo 1600 unique FMV sequences, it's a testament to the quality the genre can achieve when the developers aren't simply looking to cash in on a gimmick.
8 Worst: Tender Loving Care
Don't adjust your monitors, ladies and gentlemen, that really is English actor John Hurt, and he really did star in a late-90s interactive DVD movie/game known as Tender Loving Care.
Though it sets up a solid premise, TLC feels like a poorly written, poorly produced budget film that more or less markets itself as softcore pornography. The psychological thriller setup may intrigue some, but, at the end of the day, it's a strange experiment that feels like a product of its time. However, it's currently available on Steam for interested parties.
7 Best: Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure
Contradiction is the sort of game that may have sparked a revolution in the medium had it released when FMV titles were the hot new ticket in gaming. However, released in 2015, it's a unique and underappreciated glimpse into what could have been.
Stepping into the shoes of a detective trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious death in an otherwise quiet town, Contradiction asks players to parse truth from lies and unearth the potentially eerie secrets hiding just out of view. An excellent play for those soured by FMV titles in the past, Contradiction is a variable must-play on Steam.
6 Worst: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero isn't and FMV game in the strictest sense, but, given its infamous reputation, we felt that it ought to be included here. Rife with hammy, B-grade acting and sporting some of the worst sidescrolling controls of all time, this served as an example of how not to develop a game.
Initially meant to be the first of a series of games chronicling the backstories of multiple Mortal Kombat characters, this game's terrible legacy put the kibosh on that pretty quickly. Soon after, MK would move on from the digitized actors shtick.
5 Best: Phantasmagoria
You know what I could use? Some drain cleaner. Phantasmagoria isn't a good game in the traditional sense. In fact, it's honestly pretty terrible, but it ought to be experienced by those with a fondness for FMV thanks for its completely cheesy, so-bad-its-good nature.
The story of a woman who accidentally sets a demon free in her mansion, Phantasmagoria is a mess of horrible CG, terrible acting, and unforgivably bad greenscreen effects. However, it's unintentionally hilarious, and it's quite honestly so hoaky and ridiculous that it manages to be a great experience in its own right.
4 Worst: Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game
Movies based on video games are almost always awful, and 1994's Street Fighter: The Movie was absolutely no exception. However, rather than simply release a bummer of a film and leave it at that, Capcom saw fit to hack out a gross, digitized monstrosity of a fighting game based on said film.
In what could only be construed as an offensive Mortal Kombat ripoff, Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game looks bad, controls worse, and is often considered to be one of the worst fighters of all time. A stain on the game's legacy, this thing is dated beyond belief.
3 Best: The 7th Guest
Though it's terribly dated by today's standards, The 7th Guest was paramount to Myst when it first debuted in 1993. Evoking an eerie sense of realism while maintaining a hint of self-aware irony, it's a charming romp through both a haunted mansion and gaming's past.
Though the FMV sequences are blocky and look positively atrocious on HD displays, this game still offers a spooky atmosphere which makes for some perfect Halloween-time playing. It can still be purchased through services like Steam and GOG, and, for those so inclined, it's still worth a shot.
2 Worst: Night Trap
This game's reputation proceeds it, as few gamers aren't at least casually aware of the infamously terrible Night Trap and the controversies it caused. Meant to incite a new era of gaming, Night Trap backfired and more or less sunk the medium of FMV.
Though it's remarkably tame these days, the game is borderline unplayable thanks to its strange plot, indecipherable situations, and unlikable characters. A weird experience which sees players catching kidnappers and... um, something to do with vampires, it really is one of the worst FMV games to ever see release.
1 Her Story
Her Story is exemplary in its ability to deliver a story through atypical, non-linear means. Tasking players with uncovering the narrative by entering key phrases into an old police database, events and key plot points unfold at odd intervals, and it's up to the player to pick up on what's really going on.
Like many FMV games, it's a bit tough to go back to once you've seen everything, but Her Story does such an excellent job of engrossing the player while maintaining its hands-off approach that you'll want to give it another go anyway.